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The cotton industry is evolving – climate, market demand, management processes and technology advancements necessitate Australian growers and CSD to remain on the front foot, growing a high-quality product that’s sought after, sustainable and profitable.
That’s why we’ve invested in developing new varieties, built for the conditions you face. The Try Before You Buy trials arm you with local variety performance data and insights to help inform your on-farm decision making and plant new seed varieties with confidence.
2026 Season | Darling Down | Trial No. 2026106
Sicala 320B3XF & Siokra 253B3XF Try Before You Buy
‘Myall Park’, Blackville, NSW
Key takeaway
- Siokra 253B3XF and Sicala 320B3XF both performed similarly well under harsh seasonal conditions.
- Both varieties demonstrated good quality results, with Sicala 320B3XF performing particularly well following minimal rainfall season long.
System
Dryland
60 inch
Rainfall
205.6mm
In crop rainfall
Top yield
4.66 b/ha
Sicala 320B3XF
Trial snapshot
| Trial No. | 2026106 |
| Planting date | 10 October 2025 |
| Picking date | 8 June 2026 |
| Previous crop | Wheat |
| Varieties | Sicala 320B3XF and Siokra 253B3XF |
Season & field summary
The field at planting retained a stubble cover of approximately 20% following wheat. The crop was planted into good soil moisture but the season was drier than expected with low rainfall throughout and a cooler start to the season. There was no rainfall for about a month following planting and an effective in crop total rainfall of 205.6mm.
I was impressed by the early vigour in the Sicala 320B3XF, for a very low density seed it was a better performer than the Siokra 253B3XF.
I was impressed with boll load, all positions being held and some doubles in instances being seen. The trial area held up considerably well, being western facing and on a slight slope.
The Sicala 320B3XF bush didn’t need any slowing up and status of height was noted as being a much smaller plant all in all from the other varieties grown. We will certainly look into Sicala 320B3XF, love to see it in a big wet season, Sicala 320 & Siokra 253B3XF will have a fit in our systems in years to come. The only limiting factor of the trial was the seasonal conditions.
Trial results
Results are from CSD 25 saw gin, Shenstone and classing through ACS, Wee Waa.
Yield & fibre quality comparison
| Variety | Yield | Staple length (imp) | Strength (g/tex) | Micronaire | Lint turnout (%) |
| Sicala 320B3XF | 4.66 | 1.22 | 32.9 | 4.3 | 42.2 |
| Siokra 253B3XF | 4.31 | 1.16 | 30.8 | 4.1 | 41.0 |
Agronomy insights
The limited rainfall and cool drop in temperatures following planting created unideal establishment conditions resulting in 38.2% establishment in the Sicala 320B3XF and 44.1% in the Siokra 253B3XF. Both varieties recovered well and, by cutout, Sicala 320B3XF was carrying approximately 20 extra bolls/m with greater first position retention, though this didn’t affect yield comparison substantially in the end. In mid-late January, the crop suffered some hail damage but recovered well. The quality of both varieties remained high despite harsh seasonal conditions.
Sicot 619B3XF was planted elsewhere on farm and the establishment of this variety was favoured over the Siokra 253B3XF and Sicala 320B3XF, something to note for tougher seasons in dryland systems.
